Methods and systems for cloud-based management of images captured by aerial vehicles
Inventors
Kanji, Nazlin • Aragon, Greg • Hall, Carolyn
Assignees
Publication Number
US-11155348-B2
Publication Date
2021-10-26
Expiration Date
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Abstract
Systems, devices, and methods for receiving image data; transferring the captured image data to a server having a processor and addressable memory via a network-connected computing device; storing the captured image data on the server; generating captured image metadata based on the stored captured image data; providing access to the captured image data and captured image metadata via an image management component; displaying, by the image management component, the captured image data; and filtering, by the image management component, the captured image data based on the generated captured image metadata.
Core Innovation
Systems, devices, and methods for receiving image data; transferring the captured image data to a server having a processor and addressable memory via a network-connected computing device; storing the captured image data on the server; generating captured image metadata based on the stored captured image data; providing access to the captured image data and captured image metadata via an image management component; displaying, by the image management component, the captured image data; and filtering, by the image management component, the captured image data based on the generated captured image metadata.
Additional embodiments include capturing image data via a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicle having a plurality of sensors including RGB, LIDAR, and multi-spectral cameras; co-registering the captured image data with at least one pre-loaded image to a high level of precision; correlating a first captured image data with a second captured image data and displaying both where a visual dividing line separates the first captured image data from the second captured image data and the visual dividing line is moveable by a user; filtering the displayed captured image data based on a plurality of spectrums selected by the user; and generating analytics such as canopy coverage, anomaly level, and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) profiles based on the stored image data.
Embodiments relate generally to aerial vehicles, and more particularly to storage of images captured by aerial vehicles. As aerial vehicles have grown in size and complexity, the amount of land covered, and data that can be captured by aerial vehicles has increased.
Claims Coverage
Independent claims: 1 and 8. The following 19 inventive features are extracted from these independent claims.
Capturing image data via a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicle
Capturing image data via a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicle as recited in independent claim 1.
Receiving the captured image data
Receiving the captured image data as recited in independent claim 1.
Transmitting the captured image data to a server via a network-connected computing device
Transmitting the captured image data to a server having a processor and addressable memory via a network-connected computing device as recited in independent claim 1.
Storing the captured image data on the server
Storing the captured image data on the server as recited in independent claim 1.
Generating captured image metadata based on the stored captured image data
Generating captured image metadata based on the stored captured image data as recited in independent claim 1.
Providing access via an image management component
Providing access to the captured image data and captured image metadata via an image management component as recited in independent claim 1.
Displaying captured image data by the image management component
Displaying, by the image management component, the captured image data as recited in independent claim 1.
Filtering captured image data based on generated captured image metadata
Filtering, by the image management component, the captured image data based on the generated captured image metadata as recited in independent claim 1.
Correlating a first captured image data with a second captured image data
Correlating, by the image management component, a first captured image data with a second captured image data as recited in independent claim 1.
Displaying correlated images with a moveable visual dividing line
Displaying, by the image management component, both the first captured image data and the second captured image data wherein a visual dividing line separates the first captured image data from the second captured image data and the visual dividing line is moveable by a user as recited in independent claim 1.
Defining a ground region for capturing one or more images
Defining a ground region for capturing one or more images as recited in independent claim 8.
Receiving image data from an aerial vehicle and one or more satellite images
Receiving image data of the defined ground region from an aerial vehicle and one or more satellite images as recited in independent claim 8.
Associating each received satellite image with a respective latitude and longitude
Associating each received image data from the one or more satellites with a respective latitude and longitude as recited in independent claim 8.
Co-locating aerial vehicle image data with satellite image data
Co-locating each received image data from the aerial vehicle with the received image data from the one or more satellites as recited in independent claim 8.
Processing the image data
Processing the image data as recited in independent claim 8.
Storing the processed image data
Storing the processed image data as recited in independent claim 8.
Providing access to processed image data via an image management component
Providing access to the processed image data via an image management component as recited in independent claim 8.
Verifying integrity of received image data by scanning for viruses
Verifying an integrity of the received image data, wherein verifying the integrity of the received image data comprises scanning the received image data for viruses as recited in dependent claim 12 of claim 8 (included in the claim 8 embodiment).
Generating NDVI profile of the defined ground region
Generating a normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) profile of the defined ground region based on the stored image data as recited in dependent claim 15 of claim 8 (included in the claim 8 embodiment).
The independent claims 1 and 8 cover methods that capture image data with VTOL aerial vehicles, transmit and store image data on a server, generate metadata, provide access and visualization via an image management component (including filtering and correlated displays with a moveable dividing line), and define and process ground regions including co-location with satellite imagery, integrity verification, and vegetation analytics such as NDVI.
Stated Advantages
May allow users to better gather information relating to the lands flown over.
Higher resolution captured image data enables a more robust anomaly detection system and earlier notification of anomalies.
Ground sample distance (GSD) of the aerial vehicle can yield an approximately accurate resolution down to within about twelve inches.
Co-registering captured images to pre-captured images increases the accuracy of the overall image data.
Generated reports can be exported to farm management systems to determine specific crop spraying programs and enable tractors with variable output technology to increase efficiency of fertilizer and/or weed killer usage.
Real-time LIDAR data collection can aid in determining gaps in collection and allow redirection of an aerial vehicle to collect missing data prior to completing the flight mission.
Documented Applications
Monitoring and analyzing agricultural land including adding season date ranges, crop types, tags, and notes; determining canopy coverage and anomaly levels; generating NDVI profiles; and sending alerts based on anomaly thresholds.
Co-locating and co-registering aerial vehicle captured imagery with pre-captured satellite or aerial imagery (for example from ESRI) to produce more accurate representations of a determined area.
Generating reports and exporting report data for use in farm management systems to determine crop spraying programs and to interface with tractors having variable output technology.
Using a survey app system to ground truth data and add user-collected notes and images to the cloud-based image management system.
LIDAR data collection and processing for mapping and generating survey reports, including an air side and ground side LIDAR processing flow to produce geotagged LIDAR data for mapping components.
Using geotagger tools to geotag images and correlate images to actual collection points on the ground.
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